Veterans Rideshare Makes Dreams Come True for Military Families

It’s inspiring to know that there are good people out there, striving to make a difference for our servicemembers, their families, and our Veterans. If you’re looking for a feel-good story, you’re in the right place! It is our pleasure to introduce you to an organization who consistently gives back to those who serve and sacrifice for our country.

Veterans Rideshare came across our radar last year when AW101 lead writer Jackie Toops shared that she and her husband, an active duty Army soldier, were spending their wedding anniversary apart. Jackie’s husband was deployed to Afghanistan, and she asked the AW101 community on social media, who else has also celebrated their anniversary from a distance.

To Jackie’s true surprise, Veterans Rideshare stepped in with a most generous anniversary gift — a $250 VISA gift card!

Jackie established a relationship with Veteran and President of Veterans Rideshare, Chris Pozek, and — since then– many more surprises for servicemembers and their families have resulted!

Chris shared that he loves building relationships that help support and empower our Veterans as they transition from military to civilian life. His organization, Veterans Rideshare, puts Veterans to work to end Veteran unemployment and homelessness. But they don’t stop there — read on to see what Veterans Rideshare has provided the readers of AW101!

The Lumpkin family, a dual-military couple, visited family over the holidays thanks to Veterans Rideshare.

Sharing Magic With Military Families

With Chris’ mission and Jackie’s access to a military audience, it was a natural fit! Take a look at what Veterans Rideshare has generously given to AW101 readers, and in doing so, has made a big difference for these servicemembers and their families:

A Thanksgiving feast for a family in need — Catie Hutchins shares, “I have been my husband’s caregiver for over four years since he was injured in Iraq. We were told that my husband no longer qualifies for the VA Caregiver program. I tried to go back to work part-time to help make ends meet, but my husband was unable to care for our four children due to his severe PTSD as well as a TBI.” Veterans Rideshare surprised the Hutchins family with a $200 gift card so that they could enjoy a Thanksgiving feast to remember. She replied, “Thank you so much, the card was very touching and it brought tears to our eyes. We honestly can’t begin to tell you and Veterans Rideshare how much this really means to our family.

Christmas cards for deployed soldiers —Veterans Rideshare connected with an American soldier who was deployed with German allies in Afghanistan. The organization held an event where individuals could create cards and send care packages to this particular unit of Americans and Germans. SSG Steven Casares received 27 boxes of cards and goodies while deployed. SSG Casares happily shared, “I am winning with the most packages sent to me, thank you so much, Veterans Rideshare! Everyone loved all the cards and the German servicemembers especially loved the American snacks. Our offices are full of cards on the walls!”

Sent a dual-military couple home for the holidays —The Lumpkins are a dual military couple stationed in Alaska with their young daughter. Veterans Rideshare covered roundtrip airfare for the Lumpkin family in December so that their family of three could go home to both families for the holidays. It was immensely special as both sets of grandparents were able to meet their granddaughter for the first time. SPC Lumpkin shares, “Thanks to everyone with Veterans Rideshare that made this possible, we are FOREVER grateful for the memories we can carry on with. This was a true Christmas miracle none of us will ever forget.”

$500 Christmas Giveaway for a military family— AW101 partnered with Veterans Rideshare for this $500 Christmas Giveaway. More than 130 deserving military families were nominated, and the winner selected was the Roberts family. Mrs. Roberts was a widow whose husband served in the Navy. After the death of her daughter in a tragic accident, she gained full custody of her four grandkids, ages 4, 7, 13 and 16. Mrs. Roberts was nominated by her neighbor who shares, “I have watched this poor family struggle so hard just to make ends meet. They never have enough but they never complain. They all love each other so much, it breaks my heart to see them suffer and never lose hope. If anyone deserves to have a nice Christmas they do, so please help this family.” Veterans Rideshare selected the Roberts family as the winner, received wish lists for each family member, and sent them a Christmas they’ll always remember. Mrs. Roberts went from not knowing how to give her grandkids a Christmas, to sharing, “Thank you so very much for choosing us. Veterans Rideshare has made what was going to be a not-so-great day into what will be a wonderful day. Thank you again from my heart for everything.”

SSG Casares (lower right) with his unit in Afghanistan. They received care packages and Christmas cards from Veterans Rideshare.

A Veterans Organization Worth Knowing

If you’re looking to learn more about a Veterans Organization that is actually taking action and making a difference, you’ve found it!

As you can see, Veterans Rideshare is passionate about giving back to the individuals and their families that have given so much to our country. We ask that you help them out by following their social media and checking out their website to learn more. Veterans Rideshare continues to give and support to those who make a difference every day.

About Veterans Rideshare

The mission of Veterans Rideshare is to provide dependable, safe and flexible transportation solutions that directly benefit our nation’s former military personnel and other worthwhile charitable organizations. Through unique employment and work opportunities, we will provide Veterans a chance to earn more money and control their own futures. Our specialized transportation options allow each rider more flexibility than other transportation services. Since passengers’ needs change depending on the situation, we offer a wide array of services allowing members substantial savings. We provide a singular company to build a relationship with, instead of multiple providers to meet every need. To learn more, please click here.

The Lumpkin family on their flight from their duty station to their home state, courtesy of Veterans Rideshare.

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A self-described “Jackie of All Trades,” Army wife Jackie Toops enjoys exploring the various facets of her personality by chronicling military life, world travels, family, her love of the arts and more. Her academic background is in the fields of Interdisciplinary Humanities, Museum Studies and Nonprofit Management, and she has overseen public relations for museums, galleries and universities. Jackie’s articles have been featured on Army Wife 101, Wall Street International Magazine, SoFluential, HomeAway, Military Biz Connection and FamiliesGo. While stationed in Germany, she regularly discussed her articles on-air with the Armed Forces Network in Wiesbaden. A mother of two, Jackie enjoys coffee, freelance writing, languages and discovering new ways to express herself. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

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